Best I Ever Had
by xXxShonxXx
Summary: After a bad injury, Detrick is eager to get his career back on track. -Co-written with TheLuchaWarrior
1. Chapter 1

**Character Bio:**

 **Name: Detrick Cyrus**

 **Age: 28**

 **Hometown: El Paso, Texas**

 **Appearance:** 6'0 **,** 228lbsLight skinned African American-Mexican male with a fade/buzz cut hairstyle. Brown eyes and a diamond stud in his right ear. Built but lean type figure (Like Ricochet but a bit heavier) Multiple tattoos all over his body, including:

-the word "Guerrero" on his upper back in Old English font,  
-a lucha libre mask with a crown set on top of it on his left shoulder,

-a Catholic Cross on his left side with a Mexican flag wrapped around it,  
-a small prayer on his right side,  
-a dreamcatcher tattoo with what look like raindrops in the middle of the design on his right pectoral,  
-and a red/gold phoenix on his lower back, uprising.

Style: Highflyer, striker,

 **Finishers:** DKO (Fireman's Carry dropped into a roundhouse kick to the head)(V2: Fireman's Carry dropped into an overhead kick to the head), Frog Splash, (Trump Card Finisher) 630 Senton

 **Theme:** Invincible **-** MGK

After being hired by WWE in 2016, Detrick Cyrus set the wrestling world on fire. Finally, the adopted son of Eddie Guerrero, in WWE, on Eddie's signature show. He made his debut at one of the WWE's signature shows, SummerSlam, by defeating The Miz for the Intercontinental championship. Since then, his in-ring career would shoot to a main event level. However, one can never avoid the drama that happens outside the ring.

Detrick had already known a good amount of people who were on the SD Live roster, a result of being raised around WWE talent and working on the Independent scene. One of those would be the Women's pick for Smackdown, Becky Lynch. The 2 would be close for about 2 months, and then start to date. Everything would be going well... until Detrick received news management wanted him to help and train Eva Marie.

Things were well for a while. Detrick would still travel and see Becky all the time, but Becky would feel that Eva was trying to get her hands on Detrick for herself. Even with the public news that Eva was married to Jonathan, Becky still felt unsure. Even to the point of following Detrick and Eva to a jewelry store, and assuming the absolute worst.

Her actions led her to breaking up her relationship Detrick, and starting one with UFC fighter Luke Sanders, almost entirely out of spite. And at the time of the breakup, Detrick would suffer a shoulder injury that would put him out of action, right after the Royal Rumble. And of course, the dirt sheets would eat this up, and claim that Detrick cheated on Becky with Eva, making both of them seem like evil people in the process.

Detrick, after successful surgery, would go on a podcast with longtime friend and mentor, Chris Jericho, to discuss the who process. He revealed that he went to buy an engagement ring for Becky, revealing that he wanted to marry Becky, despite the short time they'd been together as a couple. And again, dirt sheets would have a field day with this new revelation of knowledge. But the damage would already be done. Becky and Detrick's relationship had ended.

Now Detrick seeks to reclaim the top spot he left in WWE. But also fix his personal issues, and possibly sort out this mess he calls a love life...

* * *

 **Battleground 2017**

After being gone for what felt like forever, I was finally back and better than ever. Daniel Bryan pretty much gave me a throw away match on the pre show I didn't really see the point but I was grateful to be back. I opted to wear my classic black & white gear tonight as a symbol of getting things back to normal. It consisted of shorts with gold designs on both sides [white side: Looks like the designs on Sin Cara's tight][Black side: The words "Lucha Warrior" in green, white, and red old English Calligraphy slanted across the pants leg]. Along with that I wore black knee pads, a lone elbow pad on my left arm and wrist tape on both my arms. Paired with my white Air Jordan 1s.

"First order of business reclaiming the title I never lost." I said to myself as I pulled on my black "Lucha Warrior" hoodie." Second order of business avoiding Becky."

"Sounds easier said than done." Jimmy Uso chuckled from the door way."Can't avoid her forever uce."

"Yeah, your right." I said with a sigh.

"If she gets to close we can always sick Nao on her." Jimmy offered making me laugh a little.

"I'll remember that."

"How's the shoulder? Jey'll be by after your match to check on you." Jimmy said flopping down on my couch.

"Feels brand new." I jokingly moved my arm around in a circle."I'm back and better than ever."

* * *

 **Invincible - MGK**

"Making his return weighing in at 228 pounds, from El Paso, Texas, Detrick Cyrus!" Jojo announced. I exploded through the curtain to a loud roar from the crowd, I looked around slowly taking it all in before making my way to the ring, making sure to slap hands with members of the crowd before I walked up the steel steps and onto the apron. I did a flip into the ring before turning to face my opponent. I unzip my hoodie and drop it in the corner as the ref has a few words with Chad.

"You ready?" The ref asked me finally I bounced up and down in place before nodding. The ref motioned for the bell and Chad & I went straight into a shoulder collar lock up. I get the upper hand and slam Gable with a headlock takedown. He struggles for a bit before escaping. He rushes at me for a clothesline but I duck it and hit a Super kick to his chin when he turns back toward me.

Chab stumbles back a bit, I hit the ropes and spike him onto his head with a hurricrana. I follow that up with a standing Moonsault before hooking Gable's leg. He however kicks out at 1.

I go to pull him up but he counters me with a Judo throw. I roll to my feet narrowly missing a drop kick to my face. I hit the ropes for a springboard but Chad catches me over his shoulder. At the very last second I manage to use his momentum against him and lay him out with a tornado DDT.

I scale the top rope and finish him off with a Frog Splash. After a brief celebration I motion for a mic which the stagehand happily brings me.

"It feels amazing to be back." I smile at the crowd who breaks into a welcome back chant."The only thing I have to say, is I'm back and I'm taking back my title." I drop the mic and exit the ring as my theme plays again.

* * *

"Did you have to squash him like that?" Chavo chuckled the second I answered my phone." Poor guy never had a chance."

"Had to shake off the ring rust somewhere." I joked.

"I'm sorry we couldn't make it baby." My mom cut in, making me laugh. Every time my cousin Chavo called Mom or Shaul was always there to cut in. I'm the adopted son of Eddie & Vickie Guerrero.

"it's fine, it was a last minute thing." I shrugged. It actually was Bryan had given me the match Tuesday.

"We'll all be there front and center for Smackdown." Mom added before I could hear the sound of a slight scuffle.

"I'm gonna let you go before Shaul comes running into the room." Chavo laughed." Take it Easy, Primo."

"Always. I'll talk to you guys later." I replied hanging up. I had already changed out of my gear into street clothes. ( A black short sleeved shirt with blue jeans and a pair of black Nike's). I closed the locker room door and walked next door to Jimmy & Jey's. They'd be defending their Tag Team Championships against the New Day after the second pre show match wrapped up.

"D!" Naomi shouted before I even got the chance to knock on the door. She pulled me into a hug.

"Is that Detrick?!" Charlotte shouted before joining in on the hug." You never really appreciate someone until they're gone."

"I missed you guys too." I laughed as they slowly let me go." Jimmy & Jey in there?"

"Yeah." Naomi replies pushing open the door, Charlotte & I turned around in case something was going on in there that neither of us wanted to see.

"Damn boo, knock." Jimmy snorted as the three of us walked in.

"Have you run into you know who?" Charlotte whispered.

"Nope." I replied with a shrug.

"She's avoiding you." Jimmy chuckled." I would too, if I messed up that bad."

"Monumental mess up." Jey laughed.

"She's still my friend." Charlotte interjected." Lets not bash Becky too much."

* * *

"You look lonely." Eva smiled standing beside me at the backstage monitor."Welcome back, you totally kicked Chad's ass."

"Thanks." I laughed turning back to the screen. "It sucks you aren't out there."

"It's fine, my times coming." Eva shrugged."So I have good news."

"What's up?"

"My divorce got finalized, I'm free." She laughed.

"Good, any guy who gets that upset over a legit platonic friendship doesn't need a relationship." I replied shaking my head.

"Make sure you listen to that too." She replied."You deserve the world, never forget that?"

"When did you become my life coach? " I joked she patted me on the shoulder with a laugh.

"Around the same time you became my trainer."

"Still on for tomorrow?" I asked.

"Of course, wouldn't miss it for the world." Eva smiled before watching the women in the ring intently. "So out of curiosity are you rooting for her tonight or Charlotte?"

"Both? Even though everyone out there deserves it." I shrug evading a straight away answer.

"That's very Detrick of you." Eva said with a snort.

"Fine yes, despite everything I want the best for her." I admitted."She deserves it the most."

"Aww."

Shut up." I say as I playfully punch her arm. We both watch the match in it's entirety, as there were only 3 women in the ring: Natalya, Charlotte, and Becky. Shortly after Becky taps Charlotte out with the disarmer.

I watched in shock as Becky lost the match to a quick roll-up from Natalya. I mean, despite everything that's happened with us, I still wanted her to succeed in life, and that included winning.

"Pretty sure she's gotta be disappointed right now." Eva says as we watch Natalya celebrate in the ring. Then camera pans over to Becky who's sitting and slapping the mat in frustration.

"I know she misses being Champion." I sigh, I let out a sound of shock as Nattie attacks Naomi.

"Well damn." Eva says wide eyed." Nattie's bad ass."

"I would've rather it was Lana she beat on." I replied shaking my head, I turned away from the monitor and started toward the gorilla.

"Just leave me here." Eva said sarcastically." I like watching Paper Views alone."

"I'm sure Fandango's around here somewhere." I joke teasing her about her Total Diva's Fiasco from season one.

"Funny." She laughs.

When I get to the Gorilla, Jimmy & Jey are both there waiting for Nao already.

"Why is Nattie always beating on my girl?"Jimmy shook his head annoyed." I'd be wrong if I super kicked Tyson."

"He's like super fragile." Jey replied.

"She's fine, she's a warrior." I added,Jimmy smiled as she finally came through the curtain.

"I'm fine." She says immediately." I'll get her back."

"Told you, she's a warrior." I laughed as Naomi high fived me.

"I'm gonna go shower and get changed." She says walking off.

"What are you about to do?" Jimmy asked me, I shrugged then the three of us ended up walking to catering.

"The telepathy is real." Jey laughed as we all sat down with something to snack on.

"If his hair was alittle longer, he could totally pass for the third Uso." Charlotte joked walking over.

"Really?" I asked playfully rubbing my head." That's all it would take?"

"I disagree." Jey laughed.

"But have you seen Becky?" Charlotte asked seriously.

"She flew past us at the Gorilla but that's it." Jimmy replied.

"She's pretty upset right now, Detrick I think you should talk to her." Charlotte said causing mirror images of outrage to cross the twins faces.

"Sure no problem." I grabbed my bag of chips and got up." She's probably outside that's where she always goes when she needs to think."

"Uce, don't do it." Jimmy pleads.

"Don't let the devil tempt you." Jey adds.

"Hey! I'm the queen not the devil." Charlotte says with mock hurt.

After walking around for 10 minutes I managed to find Becky in an isolated spot in the parking lot.

"You do realize you shouldn't be all the way out here by yourself right?" I asked making the ginger haired woman's head snap up towards me. Her make up was smudged and she now wore a long hoodie over her ring attire.

"I wanted some space." She replies staring at her boots.

"Are you okay?" I asked she simply shrugs in response." Dammit Becky, Charlotte sent me out here to make sure you were okay. And your being short with me."

"I - I'm fine. You can tell Charlotte that." Becky said throwing the hood on and walking away. I sighed in annoyance as I watched her retreating form.

"This is gonna be a lot harder than I thought."


	2. Chapter 2

**Monday Morning, 9am  
Philadelphia, PA**

"So what's the plan today, D?" Eva asked with a smile as she put her duffle bag down beside the ring.

"I'm pretty sure you're due to get back on TV soon, so I want you to wrestle a mock match so you can shake off alot of the ring rust you've got." I explained as Eva scrunched up her face and looked around.

"Against you?"

"No, my baby cousin's here. She's just being extra and wanted me to give her an intro." I replied before raising my voice slightly. "Which I'M NOT DOING!"

"Boo, you suck D." Katarina as she walked into the room pouting. "I only had one request."

"Oh please, you had like 10. Now get in the ring." I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. Katarina is my younger biological cousin from my mother's side of the family and in younger everyday fashion, she always manages to get on my nerves. Consistently!

"I don't think we've actually met, I'm Eva." Eva smiled, holding her hand out to Katarina once the two were inside the ring.

"Katarina." She replies glancing at Eva's hand. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." Eva said with a little bit of hesitation in her voice.

"Kat, be nice." I called out, she smirked as her and Eva locked up with Kat, with Kat roughly pulling Eva into a side headlock.

"If I take it easy on her now, how do you expect her to be ready to face someone Charlotte? Or Becky? Or even Lana at that?" She replied as Eva struggled.

I sighed in annoyance. She was right, but I didn't need her brutalizing Eva Marie for no legitimate reason.

"Ok, I get your point. But my goal is to help her get back INTO the ring, not never make it back in again." I replied, as she simply ignored what I said and kept going

10 minutes went by and Eva managed to play possum and beat Kat, which no doubt infuriated her.

"What she needs is tough love, you taking this Detrick Approach isn't what she needs." Kat said popping to her feet before turning to Eva.

"That was smart, always keep them on their toes, and be prepared to steal a win if you have to." Katarina smirked evilly. "Ready to go another round?" She asked as Eva nodded

* * *

 **The** **next day in El Paso, Texas**

 **Detrick's house**

"How you feeling Eva?" I asked answering the phone, fully expecting the redhead to be in immense pain. Maybe, just maybe, calling Naomi to wrestle with her would've been a better idea.

"I'm actually pretty good, a few bruises but I'm good." Eva replied happily. "Seriously, I feel like with you helping me, I have a chance at becoming champion really soon."

"That's what our goal is. I'm gonna do my best to try and make you one the best, if not the best woman on the roster." I smiled. When Carono bought her to me, I wasn't really excited but things quickly turned around.

"Thank you so much! I've gotta go, Nikki & Brie are here. Bye!" She replied hanging out.

"You act like you're one of the girls." Chavo joked as I put my phone away. I rolled my eyes as I sat down on my couch. Chavo definitely was one of my favorite cousins. When I first had gotten adopted, Chavo was one the first member of the Guerrero family to accept me right off the bat. Since then, he's always been like a big brother to me, mentoring me and looking out for me.

"Why did I invite you here again?" I joked shaking my head as Sin Cara walked into the living room.

"Because you missed your family maybe?"

"Weren't you just home for months?" Sin Cara asked.

"Hm, sounds like I wasn't homesick then." I smirked as Chavo rolled his eyes. He wordlessly turned on the tv and started to watch the first thing sports related he found.

I went on instagram and posted a pic from yesterday with the three of us after training captioned 'Good Cop, Bad Cop, but it gets the job done'. As if it was some sick joke, Becky had posted something right before I did…..a picture of her cuddled up with her new boyfriend, MMA fighter, Luke Sanders.

It wasn't the best break up, and neither of us handled it the right way. There was just something about actually seeing her move on bothered me. We're not together anymore, so technically I have no right to be upset, but seeing her with another guy...it just irks me.

"You okay?" Sin Cara asked lowly. I snapped out of my thoughts and nodded quickly, locking my phone.

"Yeah, just didn't really expect it, that's all."

"If it's meant to be, it'll work itself out." Sin Cara replied putting a hand on my shoulder.

* * *

 **Smackdown Live  
July 25th, 2017**

I set my duffle bag down in the Usos locker room and started doing some stretches before I made it to the arena. Daniel had sent me a text saying I'd be facing Chad again.

"Hey Uce." Jey said flopping on the couch."How was your hot training session?"

"You know one of them is my cousin right?" I asked disgusted.

"I'm joking, relax." He chuckled." She getting any better?"

"Yeah, she actually pinned Kat." I said proudly. "She cheated, but she did it."

"You sound like a proud father." Jey commented, making me laugh.

"Can I talk to you about something since Jimmy's really anti-Becky?" I asked sitting on the floor to stretch my back some.

"Correction, I'm also anti-Becky...but I can understand where you're coming from, so go ahead." Jey replied cracking open a bottle of water.

"I thought if I stayed away from her it wouldn't be as hard, but between Charlotte asking me to go talk to her, and now this picture I saw on Instagram.I...I...just don't know how I should feel." I explained with a sigh. "How do you handle seeing the woman you love be with somebody else?"

"It's still pretty fresh, and it doesn't help that you got injured not too long after, so you didn't really get the chance to deal with it head on." Jey said, rubbing his chin thinking. "My advice to you man: Option one, you can either go and have a real conversation with her, one where she doesn't get the chance to run off because it's getting too deep for her to handle. Or option two, you start dating someone else. If Becky really is 'The One', it'll work itself out. If she isn't, then you're giving yourself the chance to find her."

"You're right." I say standing up." Thank you."

"No problem Uce, just make sure your head is on straight for your match later on."

"Always." I smile heading out, formulating my plan in my head.

Becky & Charlotte's match was third on the card after Kevin Owen's promo about his US title win two days ago, and Baron vs Shinsuke.

I had less than an hour to find her and talk to her.

A few minutes later, I changed into my ring gear: Half black, half white jean shorts with a Mexican flag decaled on the right side of them, black knee pads, white black and gold Air Jordans with white soles, black elbow pad on the right arm, and white wrist tape on both arms. To top it off, I put on my 'Lucha Warrior' hoodie, and headed out the door. Before I even got 5 steps towards the women's locker room I heard Jimmy call out.

"Uce! Don't do it!"

I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him. Jey's claim about us being so close we had telepathy was starting to sound very real.

"Do what?" I asked, feigning innocence.

"Talk to that ginger-headed she-devil."

"How long have you been holding on to that joke? It's been a while how." I replied subtly looking at my watch.

"I can get you dates with some very nice girls who won't run off and rebound without having the full story." Jimmy said as I walked away

"If this doesn't work out, I'll let you."

"Fine, good luck man." Jimmy said before I headed my own way.

"Hey hermano, check out Kevin's promo. He's calling you out." Kalisto said stopping me. I huffed in slight annoyance as he led me to the monitors.

"Detrick Cyrus says his first order of business here on Smackdown Live is getting back his title that he never lost? Good for him. Then head to Monday Night RAW because the Intercontinental Championship isn't here anymore. THIS is Smackdown Live, I'M the United States Champion, and I've got a powerbomb for him and everybody else who thinks they're going to take this away from me."

"I'll address him later. I've got something I have to do." I replied shaking my head. "Thanks bro."

"No problemo man." I walked off, trying to find Becky, because I really wanted to have this conversation with her before my rematch with Chad. I literally kept searching everywhere in the arena until I finally got to the Women's locker room. I knocked on the door, hoping that Becky would answer, but instead I got Lana.

"Detrick? What are you doing here?" She asked in her fake thick accent. We all knew it wasn't real, but she still kept it up. Force of habit probably.

"Is Becky here?"

"Nope, no she isn't." She replied quickly with a tight smile. "I think she's somewhere with Charlotte."

"Yeah she is." Charlotte's voice called out from somewhere in the locker room followed by the sound of a quick scuffle. Lana cringed before opening the door all the way up, revealing the woman I was looking for, holding Charlotte in a tight headlock.

"Can we talk Becky?" I asked as she slowly let go of Charlotte and walked out the locker room, making sure to shut the door behind her.

"Uh can we talk somewhere else? I'm pretty sure all the girls have their ears pressed against the door." Becky asked

"No we don't." Naomi's voice came out in a slight muffle.

"Yeah come on." I led the way to a deserted part of the hallway.

"So what's up?" She asked, looking anywhere but at me.

I sighed softly. I had this conversation in my head hundreds of times. I thought I knew exactly what I was going to say to her, but now that we're here, in this moment, my mind just went blank. I think I just needed to be honest and speak from my heart.

"I hate the way things between us ended and I hate the way things are right now. I shouldn't have to chase you down or corner you to have a conversation with you, Rebecca." I watched her fidget for a second before looking up at me. "We were friends before everything happened. Good friends, and I don't understand why it should be any different now." I looked into Becky's dark brown eyes. I'd known this girl for years before I'd even made it to WWE. Working the Independent circuit together, hanging out before and after shows, even me coming to see her matches when she first got hired by WWE. So much had changed between us in the last year, and it honestly killed me just how everything changed.

"It's just hard ok? I admit I lashed out at you without getting the entire story and I'm wrong for that. It also didn't help you were spending so much time with Eva." Becky admitted.

"I'm her trainer. There was nothing going on between me and her, except trying to make her a better wrestler. Besides, I see her the same way I see Naomi, or Charlotte. I just thought it would be nice to have someone who isn't biased help me pick out a ring for you. Plus, she was married at the time, so she definitely understood what I was trying to do."

"Charlotte knows me really well. Why didn't you just ask her to help you pick it out?" Becky pointed out.

"Because she's your best friend. She can't keep a secret about you, from you. If I had asked Charlotte, she would have told you, had an entire sketch of the ring drawn out, gave you the price, the store that I got it from, the person I talked to, and when I planned on proposing all before I even dropped her off. The same goes for Naomi."

"What about-?" I cut her off quickly.

"Kat would've picked out the ugliest thing she could find. I don't even know why you would suggest her." She let out a small chuckle.

"You're right. I guess I can see your reasoning." She replied awkwardly. We both just stood there, the next few moments in complete silence. Everything has been cleared up, and yet there's still a void left between us. I decided to break the silence.

"So where do we go from here? I mean I still have feelings for you, and I don't know you feel but-" Becky put her hand in front of me to stop me from talking.

"Detrick, I have a boyfriend, and I really do care about him. Look I know what we had was special, and I don't regret one moment I've had with you….but I don't think we're good for each other. At least not romantically. I think it's best that we stay friends." She told me, looking straight into my eyes, with a soft but serious expression.

I won't lie, I kinda saw that coming, but a part of me just hoped that maybe we could work things out between us. I mean, I wanted her to be happy, but I couldn't help but think it should be with me. I realized that I'd been spacing out, again,because Becky was waving her in my face, trying to get my attention. Back to reality I guess.

"Oh sorry, I spaced out for a second. What were you saying?" I said, a little embarrassed. Before she could respond, a stagehand came up to me.

"Hey Detrick, your match is up in 2 minutes. You need to get to guerrilla." The stagehand said before walking off. I looked at Becky, but before I could say anything else, she walked off. I sighed as I head off towards my match. Gable entered the ring first, I took the next few seconds to gather myself before a stagehand gave me the cue that it was my turn now.

 **Invincible - MGK**

"And his opponent from El Paso, Texas weighing in at 228 pounds, Detrick Cyrus!"

The match starts off with me and Gable going into a collar and elbow tie up, both us trying to get the power advantage. Chad ends up getting behind me and putting me on the mat with a waist lock takedown, keeping me grounded. He wrestles me down and keeps me down, with me struggling and trying to get myself off the mat.

I end up overpowering him, and get to the ropes. The referee starts the count and Gable lets go of me at 3 and backs off. I regain my bearings, getting ready to lock up again. Me and Gable lock up again, this time gets directly behind me, and attempts a back suplex, but I reverse and flip behind him. I put him into a headlock and put pressure on his head.

He pushes me on the ropes, and then throws me off, and tries to clothesline me but I hang on to the opposite ropes. He charges at me, only to have me sidestep and throw him over the ropes. I run towards the ropes, only to springboard and flip to the center of the ring.

The crowd is loud and clapping loudly for the way that this match, and we were just getting started. This was not gunna be anything like the squash match we had just 2 nights before. I surprised him Sunday, but he had 2 days to recover, and he was more than prepared to give me a fight now.

I waited for Chad to get in the ring, while he was on the outside, trying to collect himself. I went to the nearest corner and used of of the signature taunts by resting myself over the ropes. That got the WWE Universe worked up even more, and they started chanting "Let's go Detrick!", which was music to my ears.

Me and Gable locked up again, both of us, trying to get the advantage. He gets the advantage, getting my in an armlock before grabbing my waist & slamming me to the ground. We roll around for a bit, but he ends up lifting me into the air, possibly for a German Suplex! I had to act quick, so I decided to elbow Gable in the face. His grip was starting to loosen, so I took the chance to Wheelbarrow myself and catches him with a Victory Roll.

I heard the referee count up to two before Gable pushed me off of him. Both of us got back up to our feet, but I was the first to move. I leaped onto his shoulders & manages to hit a hurricanrana which sent Gable out of the ring! However, I knew that this wouldn't keep him down for long, so I had to act fast! When Chad was almost up, I ran the ring and leaped clean over the ropes, crashing onto him!

After that, my adrenaline was beginning to rush. I was getting hyped up, so I tried to get the crowd as hyped as me. I picked up & threw Chad back into the ring before climbing to the top rope. The crowd was cheering because they knew what was coming, and chanted "Eddie" "Eddie" "Eddie". And then, I made the fatal mistake of not paying attention because while I wasn't paying attention, Chad got up and hits me with a top rope Belly-to-Belly Suplex! From that height, the attack was painful and it knocked me for a loop! Chad, wisely, went for the cover.

I'll give him credit, Gable's great! I don't even know how, but I managed to get my arm up just before the count of three! And I could tell that Chad was shocked as well, while getting a little bit desperate. Because the next thing I see is him climbing to the top rope! Soon, he leaps for a Moonsault, and time seems to slow down. Soon, I found myself rolling out of the way at the last second as Chad lands on his feet! I pull myself up and caught Chad with a Superkick as he ran towards me! I went for the DKO (Fireman's Carry dropped into a roundhouse kick to the head), but unfortunately when I lifted him onto my shoulders, Gable manages to roll onto the mat, grab my ankle, and put me in the Ankle Lock!

My God did that hurt! It felt as if Gable was trying to rip my entire ankle off of my leg! I had to get to the ropes as quickly as possible! Yet, when I was just a fingertip away, Gable pulled me to the center of the ring! Now I was in serious trouble because at any moment, my ankle would shatter! In fact, deep down, I even considered tapping! I mean, I literally just came back from an injury, and the last thing I needed right now was to be out again. I then realized that there was something I can do: I rolled onto my back, tripping Gable in the process, grabbed his leg, and put him in the Tequila Sunrise! Now it was Gable who was struggling to break free, and he was screaming in agony. It sucks that I did not let up, though, because now I was in the zone. I wanted him to feel the pain I still feel in my ankle. However, and I should've suspected this, Gable rolled onto his back and went for a Small Package!

I don't know how he managed to pull that off, but I knew that I had to quickly kick out, which I did. He got back to his feet, and I surprised him, and the crowd, with the 915 (Trouble in Paradise). Unlike before, I didn't underestimate Gable, nor did I waste any time. I quickly lifted him onto my shoulders and hit him with the DKO, which connected this time. At that point, I knew it was over, so I went for the pin.

" **One.….two...three!"**

The bell finally rang and the match was over. I stood up, with the referee raising my hand in victory. As Gable got to his feet, I extended my hand as a sign of respect of sportsmanship. He took it and we both shook hands, exchanging a few words of complements before he raised my hand in victory to the crowd.

I went and grabbed a mic from ringside and for a moment, I just stood there, soaking in the fact that I was finally back in the ring. The crowd was cheering loud, letting me know that I was missed and my return was going the way I had hoped.

"WWE Universe! It is great to back here on Smackdown Live. Now I've seen there's alot of changes here on Smackdown Live: Shinsuke Nakamura is here on Smackdown, Smackdown now has the women's MITB briefcase, and Jinder Mahal is WWE Champion. But I wanna focus on the smaller things before we get to that." I look out to the crowd and hear them cheer loud, then continue.

"Kevin Owens. He says he's got a Powerbomb for me and anyone who wants to take the U.S. title from him. Well guess what? It's gonna take alot more than a pop-up powerbomb to keep me from reaching my goals. And my goal is to be United States Champion. And if you think you can stop me, you've got another thing coming. In this ring, I'm a warrior. And a warrior fights until the very end. I'm not afraid of you Kevin. I'm coming for you and that title. Viva la lucha." I say as I throw the mic behind me, and roll out of the ring and slap hands with the WWE Universe, as they cheered for me as Invincible played in the background.

About 20 minutes, the show had ended and there was a huge swerve that kind of intrigued me. The main event consisting of Kevin Owen's, Chris Jericho, and AJ Styles for the United States Championship ended with AJ Styles becoming the new U.S. Champion. This was definitely something I didn't see coming, but also presented a new opportunity. I'd always wanted to face AJ Styles in WWE and now I had the opportunity to, and as a bonus, it'd be for the United States Championship. Things were getting very interesting.

"So uce, how'd it go?" Jimmy asked as I climbed into the backseat of the rental. After the show, we all decided to share a rental car because it's easier on gas and I liked riding with all of them. Jey rode shotgun, while Naomi was already asleep in the back.

"She wants me to move on." I sighed.

"We can find you a nice girl. Smackdown live has some Baddies." Jimmy grinned at me in the rear view mirror.

"Uce." Jey warned before I could say anything.

"You don't want a Smackdown live girl? Cool, NXT has some good choices too. We can even find someone from RAW. You want me to text Sasha?" Jimmy asked. I groaned internally. That was a can of worms I definitely didn't want to open up.

"I'll pass." I replied, sliding on my headphones, tuning out everything around me, looking out the window. I definitely had alot to think about, and this was gonna be a long ride to think.


	3. Chapter 3

**Friday July 28th, 2017**

 **Charlottesville, Virginia**

"Do you want me to hurt her? Because I swear, I'll hurt her. She's had it coming for a long time." Katarina hissed into the phone. After everything that went on with Becky, I decided to call Kat, but I was slowly starting to regret my actions. Ever since me and Becky had gotten together in the early stages of my WWE run, she and her had a little bit of tension. Even before I got there, they were at each other's throats. Part of it probably came from their time in NXT together, or maybe the fact that Katarina was seen as the bigger draw and moved up faster. Whatever the reason, Becky and Kat were 2 people I did not want in the same room, alone together.

"I was actually calling for advice, not to put out a hit." I retorted, and I could almost see the eye roll she gave over the phone. While I don't like her blatant hatred for my ex-girlfriend, I do appreciate her concern for me. Despite us being just cousins, she was always more like a sister to me and wanted to look out for me, even if she was younger. I mean yeah, I had 3 sisters with Shaul, Raelyn, and Kaylie, but Katarina was my blood, and that's a bond we will always share. We always had a need to protect each other and I appreciated that. Not that I'd ever tell her that though, because her head is big enough already.

"Move on. And you know D, I'm insulted. I'm the absolute best matchmaker ever to exist."

"Didn't you try and match me with-" I started, but she quickly cut me off.

"We will never speak of that again." I was about to retort, but thinking about it, it'd be bad to mention that. I shivered a little bit, just thinking about it.

"Okay, fine." I replied, shocking both of us. "When do you want me to do this….. blind date?"

"I already texted my girl, and Seth & I will probably have to fly out to you, in a couple of days."

"Fly out? It's a date, not a wedding." I said skeptical, but a few silent seconds went by and then it hit me. "You're planning a double date aren't you?" I asked with a deadpan expression on my face.

"If it all gets messed up, then I'll be there to save you." She explained. "Think about it, how many bad dates have you gone on and wished you had a way out of it?"

"Just one."

"Again, we're not gonna talk about that. I'm gonna go work out the details, then shoot you a text. Bye, I've gotta go." Katarina said, hanging up so fast I couldn't even get out a goodbye. I set the phone down and groaned loudly as I laid back on my bed.

"I really hope I don't regret this."

* * *

The Smackdown Live house show the next city over went by pretty fast, and we all had fun. I teamed with Jimmy and Jey in a 6-man tag versus sAnity. We won and had a pretty good moment with the crowd. After the show was over, the twins said that they all wanted to go out for drinks with Naomi and a friend of hers. I headed back to the hotel to change before meeting them at the venue. I ended up picking out a pair of dark blue jeans, a plain white tee, black tracksuit jacket, and my black, grey, and white Air Jordan 1s.

As I got to the club, I managed to spot Naomi's bright colored dress before anybody else. I was starting to make my way toward her until I spotted purplish waves beside her. Sometimes I really hated Jimmy and Jey.

I managed to spot the twins not too far away from the girls and quickly slipped past them and plopped down beside Jimmy.

"Why is Sasha here?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

"Coincidence?" He said with a nervous smile, before I gave him a deadpan look.

"Ok look uce, I think you should give it another chance." He replied, sipping on his drink. "It couldn't have been that bad. Besides if Naomi still likes her, she really can't be bad."

"Naomi hung out with Cameron for how long?" I countered, making Jey almost choke on his drink.

"He's got a point." He said snickering.

"Listen if it's that bad, I'm not gonna make you stay, but she was actually happy when Nao told her you were coming out with us." Jimmy explained. I snuck another glance at the young horsewoman before sighing. Sasha & I had tried dating back during when I was in Japan and she was still in NXT, but we didn't really mesh together well back then. Part of it was just the only thing we had in common was growing up, we both loved Eddie.

"Fine. At least now I know she isn't who I'm double dating with Kat in a few days." I replied standing up.

"Go talk to her, Uce." Jey encouraged. I made my way back over to where the former tag team partners stood talking. Naomi spotted me first and smiled before walking away, getting the hint that I wanted to talk to Sasha alone. Sasha looked at her confused until our eyes locked.

"Detrick." A big smile snaked its way onto her lips. "I haven't seen you since the brand split."

"Yeah, it's been a while. You look great." I complimented as she leaned in and gave me a hug.

"I rather me and you come out and hang as friends than they take along a random girl and you're miserable." I managed to hold back a laugh.

"Thanks. _Twin Magic_ didn't even tell me you were here."

"Sounds more like Jimmy didn't want to tell you, and Jey went along with it." She laughed, but then held on tighter, and leaned up towards my ear.

"Rebecca fucked up with what she did. I'm sorry." She whispered as she held me just a bit tighter. We both eventually let go, and we broke apart. She had a bit of sadness of in her eyes, so I reassured her.

"Hey it's life. Don't worry, I'll bounce back." I said as I smiled. She smiled back, and we began to just talk like we used to.

The night consisted of us dancing, drinking and catching up on old times. Before I knew it, it was getting late and I had to be up early to catch my flight home. I decided to walk Sasha back to her hotel room she was sharing with Bayley, being a gentleman.

"So this wasn't as bad as I thought it could've been." I said, as we both laughed a bit. She smiled back at me, as we approached her door.

"I had fun tonight. It's been a while since I actually had fun like that." Sasha said, while getting the key to her room out.

"Same here. Definitely felt like old times. We should do this again sometime. Hang out." I responded with a smile. She opened the door, but then turned back to me, and gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

"Good night Detrick." She said as she closed the door. I walked away, but I could hear Bayley getting excited, barraging Sasha with a hundred questions. I smiled, and walked to the elevator, feeling my mood rise up significantly.

* * *

 _ **Saturday July 29th, 2017**_

 _ **El Paso, TX**_

"Why did I see you on Instagram with _my_ best friends?!" Kat yelled the second she climbed into the passenger seat of my car. I knew that she was gonna make a big deal about me posting a picture on my Instagram with Sasha.

"Hello to you too, baby cousin. Hey Seth." I said acknowledging Seth, who slid into the backseat with her dog. "Nice to get a polite and kind greeting from you too." I retorted to my cousin who simply shrugged, and put on a fake smile.

"Hello favorite cousin. I missed you. Now tell me why you were out with Naomi & Sasha without me?"

"Hanging out for old times sake. It's been a long time since we've seen each other." I replied she grinned happily as she pulled out her phone and started texting.

"Well my girl, who you are going to fall in love with and have beautiful babies with, thought you were on a date. I can now happily reassure her that's not the case."

"Why did I agree to this?" I asked, glancing at Seth in the rear view mirror. He had the same tired expression I did. I didn't live with Kat at any point in my life, so I could only imagine what it must be like being stuck to her side 24/7.

"So who's this mystery girl?" I asked after spending the long ride to my house in silence.

"Let's just say she's beautiful, stylish, and fabulous." She smirked as we pulled up to the driveway of my house. The three of us climbed out the car. "Now you two hang out for awhile. I'm gonna go and get her. We'll get ready and meet you at the location I sent to both your phones."

"How are you getting there?" I asked just before she grabbed my car keys out my hand, and got into my car. She picked my black and gold 2015 Lamborghini Huracan. She squealed as she got in and started the engine up.

"Don't worry guys. I'll send an Uber for you."

"You could've gotten a rental car." I turned to Seth as we stood watching her drive off. "There better not be a scratch on my car!" I yelled before she got out of earshot.

"I didn't think she was gonna run off with the car." Seth said as we stood there with the bags in hand. Seth and I brought the bags up, got unpacked, got changed, and then pretty much played video games. After about an hour and a half of us beating the shit out of each other in WWE2K16, we decided we might as well get ready because Kat could call at any minute. I decided to just go casual and wear my own black "Lucha Warrior" shirt I had made in my Indy days, a pair of blue jeans, and black and white converse.

A little later on, Kat had sent us a text saying she was on her way here and we'd better be dressed. But the way she texted us indicated that she was upset. Something tells me she had to tweak her plans. And if there's one thing that Kat hates, it's having to improvise on a plan she already sees as perfect.

As expected, she came back with a scowl etched onto her face. I noticed her outfit had been changed and matched Seth's black T-shirt and jeans look, but much much more feminine.

"Instead of my elegant fancy dinner, we'll be going paintballing." She gestured to her plain outfit. "Which is why I'm dressed like a bum."

"Jeans and a tank top is not a bum look." I retorted watching her roll her eyes.

"The Lamborghini is nice and all but it won't fit us all soo." She replied opening my garage and unlocking my 2014 black Audi A5. I literally never drive it, but she does whenever she comes down, which is way more than she should.

"I forgot she basically has a car here." Seth said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why steal Detrick's actual car then?"

"I wanted to speed." She shrugged before grinning at her phone. Mine dinged in my pocket, I scoffed as I pulled it out.

"Cash app for the ticket I got on the way here." I read out loud as she honked the horn at us.

"I'm sorry man." Seth shook his head as he climbed into the backseat while I climbed into the front.

"I've been sorry my whole life man."

"I didn't think you guys would make it. I've always wanted to come to this place when we're in town but never got the chance." A very familiar blonde said as she greeted us with a big smile at the doors as we got out of the car. Standing before me in camo-printed jeans, a black crop top, and black converse was the _Staten Island Princess_ herself, the first and current _'Ms. Money In The Bank'_ , Carmella.

I won't lie, I legitimately was shocked to see SHE was the choice that my cousin picked for a blind date. I never thought I in her mind was her definition of "boyfriend material." I thought that she was out of my league and she wouldn't be interested in me at all. And now I'm wondering what kind of lies Katarina told to convince her to come out here.

"I've always drove by this, but it's actually my first time actually coming here." I said staring at the place known as American Eagle Paintball.

"It looks so fun, do you not see the tank?" Carmella smiled as we started making our way inside. I noticed a lack of people here and glanced in Katarina's direction, most likely she rented entire place out, for someone who loved attention she hated people interfering in family business. I held in a laugh at how petrified and out of place she looked walking through the dirt.

"Oh my god. I thought it was a prank when the call came in." The instructor said, shocked to see 4 of WWE's top stars in a paintball place. It was a young man dressed in camo. "Let's get you guys to these waivers so we can get you started."

"It's just a little dirt Kat. It won't kill you." I teased Katarina as she slowly filled out her waiver. She did it so slow, that you could tell she was stalling.

"These boots are expensive." She whined. I rolled my eyes and leaned over into Carmella's ear.

"I'm gonna shoot her in the face." I whispered to her, and responded by giggling, but quietly so Kat wouldn't hear.

"So I guess we're on teams?" She asked.

"Definitely on teams. Seth can have his hands full with that one." I laughed as my cousin finally finished and the instructor led us over to an area littered with tires, dirt mounds, and paintball stains. Carmella and I were on one side while Seth and Kat were on the other.

"I feel really bad about this." Carmella said as she twirled her gun around. "Kat's probably gonna hate me after this."

"She had a stuffy boring $500 steak dinner planned. Believe me, you did Seth & I a HUGE favor."

"She's crying." The Princess of Staten Island pointed out. And sure enough, Katarina was waving her arms around in the air, and arguing about how this was totally unfair to her.

"She's just trying to get out of it that's all." I said squinting. "She's very spoiled. We're literally about two seconds away from a temper tantrum."

"Yikes." She muttered the instructor finally gave us the okay to start and then…...all hell broke loose. _Literally_. We went to war on each other. After going through every arena and switching teams twice (and getting to actually shoot Katarina's mask), we decided to call it quits and turn everything in. I can honestly say this was probably the most fun I've had in awhile. And shockingly enough, it was orchestrated by someone I least expected. I looked over at Carmella talking with Katarina at the front desk, and it just now hit me how beautiful she was. Tanned skin, beautiful eyes, radiant blonde hair.

She caught me staring and waved her hand in front of me, bringing me back to reality. I sheepishly looked at her, embarrassed I got caught staring.

"So I had a really good time tonight." She said as I was walking her to her car. Kat and Seth already were in my car, and were waiting for me to come back.

"I did too. I didn't know you were so good. Remind me to never be on the opposite side of you." I replied as I smiled back at her, as she laughed.

"Maybe next time we can do this again. It would be nice to get to know each other in a quieter setting." She replied, leaning in for a quick hug.

"How about you ride with me after Smackdown? I'm sure Nattie will be fine traveling alone this one time." I suggested, returning the hug and she pulled back with a grin and nodded.

"I'll see you Tuesday." She said as she winked and climbed into her car, honking as a bye to Kat and Seth before pulling off. I stood and watched her car slowly disappear before turning and slowly making my way to my car. I already knew the barrage of questions my baby cousin was prepared to throw at me. I just hopped she didn't actually toss anything at me for shooting her.

"So how was it?" She asked before I could even put my seat belt on. "Do I hear wedding bells?"

"She's actually really great." I tried to say cooly, but the wide grin on my face was starting to show. "She'll be riding with me to the hotel after Smackdown. I'm probably gonna sit her down and get to know her better."

"Such a gentleman." She smirked. "Hopefully you forget all about that red headed witch." She said, semi-spitefully as she started the car and drove us home. I sighed and looked out the window, wondering just how my life was changing and how this was only the beginning.


End file.
